2007 Trafficking in Persons Report - Center for Women Policy Studies

C Z E C H R E P U B L I C
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convicted under these laws can receive up to two
years’ imprisonment. This is not commensurate with
penalties prescribed for other grave crimes in the area
administered by Turkish Cypriots, such as rape. The
authorities did not provide trafficking-specific law
enforcement data for the reporting period. In 2006,
961 “artiste” and 15 “barmaid” work permits were
issued to women working in 41 nightclubs and 9
pubs, and as of February 2007, 381 foreign women
were working in the area administered by Turkish
Cypriots. In 2006, authorities repatriated 235 women
who wished to curtail their nightclub contracts. Police
corruption remained a concern. The anti-trafficking
hotline established in 2005 does not adequately refer
victims for assistance. Turkish Cypriot authorities
should take proactive steps to train law enforcement
and other front-line responders on victim identification
techniques, including the key exploitative difference
between trafficking and smuggling. Authorities
should draft legislation that specifically prohibits all
severe forms of trafficking.
CZECH REPUBLIC (TIER 1)
The Czech Republic is a transit and destination
country for women from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus,
Moldova, Slovakia, Bulgaria, People’s Republic
of China (P.R.C.), and Vietnam trafficked to and
through the Czech Republic for the purpose of
commercial sexual exploitation. It is also a source
of Czech women trafficked to Germany, Austria, the
Netherlands, and Denmark for sexual exploitation.
The Czech Republic is a destination country for men
and women trafficked from Ukraine, Moldova, the
P.R.C., Vietnam, Belarus, India, and North Korea
for the purpose of labor exploitation. Ethnic Roma
women remain at the highest risk for trafficking
internally and abroad for sexual exploitation.
The Government of the Czech Republic fully
complies with the minimum standards for the elimination
of trafficking. The Czech Republic made
several positive efforts over the reporting period,
including: the creation of a new forced labor police
unit; the elimination of a program of exploitative
North Korean contract labor for private industry in
the Czech Republic; and the funding of a demand
reduction campaign in several regions of the country
and in Ukraine. The government should: vigorously
prosecute and convict traffickers and increase
the number of convicted traffickers serving time in
prison; continue to provide training for prosecutors
and judges; and continue to train labor inspectors
on how to identify victims of labor trafficking.
Prosecution
The Czech Republic demonstrated increased law
enforcement efforts over the last year. The Czech
Republic prohibits trafficking both for the purposes
of commercial sexual exploitation and for forced
labor through Sections 232a, 216, and 204 of its
criminal code, respectively. Punishments prescribed
in these statutes range from 2 to 15 years’ imprisonment,
which are sufficiently stringent, and commensurate
with those for other grave crimes. In 2006,
police conducted 16 investigations, compared to
18 investigations in 2005. In 2006, the government
prosecuted 151 persons, compared to 12 in 2005.
The government obtained the convictions of 72
traffickers during the reporting period, compared to
72 convictions in 2005; most traffickers were prosecuted
and convicted under the pimping statute. The
government provided training sessions for prosecutors
and judges that focused on the need for stronger
sentences to be given to convicted traffickers. Czech
law enforcement officials continued to cooperate
with counterparts in other countries in joint trafficking
investigations throughout 2006. Three Israeli
nationals hiding in the Czech Republic were extradited
to Israel for trafficking Ukrainian women. There
were no confirmed cases of government officials
involved in trafficking; however, concerns remained
that individual officers of the border police facilitate
border crossing for traffickers.
Protection
The government sustained its efforts to protect and
assist victims. The government continued to fund
IOM and three NGOs to provide victim assistance,
rehabilitation services, and shelter. NGOs provided
at least 67 victims with government-funded, comprehensive
assistance. The government provides a 30-
day reflection period for victims to decide whether or
not to cooperate with law enforcement. Victims are
encouraged to assist in investigations and prosecutions;
victims who assist law enforcement are granted
temporary residence and work visas for the duration
of the criminal proceedings. Upon conclusion of
the trial, qualifying victims may apply for permanent
residency; one victim was granted permanent
residency in 2006, compared to two victims in 2005.
During the reporting period, police actively used
the formal victim identification and referral system
to refer victims to NGOs. Because of the stigma
attached to trafficking, victims were frequently hesitant
to return to their families or seek social service
providers. The government also produced a 90-page
book for health care practitioners to assist in victim
identification. The Czech Republic continued to
fund an IOM repatriation program for victims from
Georgia, Moldova, and Armenia.